1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective glove for ice hockey, specifically the invention relates to an ice hockey glove in which the palm area for holding the stick can be removed and replaced quickly and easily.
2. Prior Art
During ice hockey when a player uses a pair of gloves for a prolonged period, the palm area of the glove collects moisture from melted ice as well as from player perspiration. This collection of moisture reduces the sensitivity of the player's hand and the gloves need to be replaced. Consequently, it is typical for an ice hockey player to keep a plurality of gloves in order to maintain sufficient sensitivity within the player's hands. The players require this sensitivity to maintain skillful stick-handling ability which is essential in the sport of ice hockey.
In a hockey glove, the portion on the back of the glove is usually protected with padding and is less susceptible to damage and wear during conventional use. The front or palm portion of the glove exhibits wear to a much greater extent during use due to constant engagement with the hockey stick. Consequently, the palm area of hockey gloves is more likely to abrade and tear than the back of the glove. Heretofore, the palm area of a glove is generally the determining factor of the durability and life of the hockey glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,117 to Latina discloses an ice hockey glove which addresses some of these issues. The hockey glove of the Latina patent discloses a hand receiver portion or inner glove which is attached to a padded back portion at the ends of the finger stalls and the outer sides of the palm area, but otherwise remains detached from the inner glove. The inner glove is coupled to the padding through lacing. Consequently, when the face of the inner glove wears out, the lacings need to be withdrawn and a new inner glove installed, thereby allowing reuse of the back padding. The Latina patent suffers from the disadvantage that it does not allow for quick replacement of the inner glove. Replacing the entire inner glove of the Latina patent is a time-consuming procedure requiring the user to remove and replace all of the laces in the hockey glove. Additionally, the replacement of the entire inner glove portion in the Latina patent is not the most efficient procedure since only the palm portion of the glove is generally damaged. Additionally, the attachment of the back padding to the glove at only distinct points may lead to the padding failing to conform to the configuration of the user's hand and possibly failing to adequately protect the user in certain positions.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. Additionally, the object of the present invention is to provide an ice hockey glove with a quick, efficient and economical palm area replacement. Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient wrist closure mechanism for securing the glove to the user's hand and wrist.